STATES CONSIDER PARENT TRIGGER: State lawmakers in Tennessee and Texas are considering bills that would empower parents to seize control of failing schools. The group Parent Revolution, which successfully pushed for a “parent trigger” law in California, is closely involved in both efforts. Tennessee’s bill [http://1.usa.gov/1LBpZYK] would allow parents whose children attend schools considered at the bottom 10 percent in overall achievement to petition their school boards to convert the schools into charters or restructure them.

— Parent Revolution spokeswoman Adrienne Wallace told Morning Education that some state senators who’ve been on the fence about parent trigger are starting to see the benefits. But the legislation will likely face some resistance in the state House if it gets there, she said. Lee Harrell, a lobbyist for the Tennessee School Boards Association, told Chalkbeat Tennessee [http://bit.ly/1Hbdlcq] that the bill is unnecessary because an elected school board can achieve the same reforms. Parents also might not take into account existing reforms or teachers’ job security when signing petitions, he said.

— A parent trigger law already exists in Texas, but activists have been trying to fix it for several years. Currently, schools must be considered low-performing for five years in order for parents to act under the law. The Texas bill [http://bit.ly/1I7vfxU] would change that waiting period to two years.

— The Hechinger Report recently reported that parent trigger showdowns are looming nationwide, with Tennessee and Texas as top targets:http://bit.ly/1xmahKY.